Two elections on Sunday

There were elections being held in Central America on Sunday. In Guatemala and El Salvador, past charges against candidates linked to corruption or human rights abuses did not seem to matter.

In Guatemala, voters cast their ballots in the first round of presidential elections on Sunday. The two candidates garnering the most votes and who will compete in the second round are former first lady of Guatemala Sandra Torres and former prison chief Alejandro Giammattei. Neither candidate has a spotless record. Torres has been under investigation in the past for campaign finance impropriety. Giammattei was arrested and charged with crimes relating to killings of prison inmates by security forces while he was in charge of the prison system.

Also on Sunday, party members of the FMLN in El Salvador participated in internal elections for new party leadership. The old party leadership stepped aside following the left wing party's humiliating defeats in 2018 and 2019 elections. Leading in the preliminary vote totals for secretary general of the FMLN is Oscar Ortiz, the country's vice president from 2014-2019.